'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16 Episode 18 Review: Who is going to save Andrew DeLuca from himself?
Well..that was an intense episode of 'Grey's Anatomy'. It's the pro-bono day, which means people get free surgeries. That also means that it's 'Grey's Anatomy' and nothing is destined to go smoothly. Chaos reigns supreme in Grey-Sloane, and guess what? Andrew DeLuca starts the fire.
DeLuca has gone on a downward spiral. He is convinced that one of his patients is a human trafficking victim. However, due to his manic energy, nobody wants to believe him. He has a meltdown in the middle of the floor, causing the doctors to become a human chain. Broken, that no one trusts him or his conviction, he continues on his reckless path, till at the end of the episode and is seen zooming off on a motorbike...to god knows where.
This DeLuca bipolar disorder plotline came out of nowhere four episodes ago, and now he is unrecognizable. The show has usually addressed mental health issues with finesse and sensitivity, but this seems very rushed and in a bid to add to the dramatic elements of the story. DeLuca is shunned and snapped at by doctors....because that's how you treat people with mental health issues, right?
MerLuca fans might heave a small wistful sigh as they finally caught a small moment between the two. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) displays her gentle side to harrowed DeLuca, more so than the other doctors who just keep snapping at him to get help and treating him as if he is unstable. She reminds him of the good things that he has done, including going to jail for her and 'saving her from herself'. That second one is a bit cringey, but you take what you get right?
Also, there is a slight chance that DeLuca might have been right about the human-trafficking patient, and the doctors just might regret their decision of not trusting him. Uh oh!
Meanwhile, Teddy (Kim Raver) is all over the place. She seems to be throwing a hissy fit at Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone), even though she knows the father of her baby is Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd). And then Tom Koracick tells her in a white flame of sacrifice that she, Teddy, loves Owen and is going to get married to him. Subtext, "Stop cheating on him with me for godsake and thinking you have feelings for me and messing me up all over again."
Well, we do know that Teddy's moments of insecurity are going to pay heavily at an opportune moment, probably closer to the wedding. Get your popcorn and tissues ready, Teddy-Owen fans.
Remember Meredith's passion for healthcare in America? That returns with this episode. Let's hope that it is also not used as a convenient plot device and actually goes somewhere.
Jackson also got a storyline this episode, guys! He spent the day asking who wants to come with him for a basketball match, as he broke up with Vic and doesn't want to go alone. Well, that's about it.
There's some Nico-Levi drama happening, as Nico just can't seem to understand that his boyfriend can have emotion and expectations from him in a relationship. Amelia and Link seem to be happy and let's honestly hope it stays that way.
This was intended to be a gripping and intense episode, but the DeLuca storyline seems to be entirely too rushed and all over the place. And clearly, it's only going to get worse from here. However, considering the mundane episodes the show has been churning out lately (still not over the Alex Karev travesty), this was honestly among the better ones. Again, that isn't saying much.
'Grey's Anatomy' airs on ABC Thursdays at 9pm.